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Paul George eager to face LeBron James

The last time George and James were on the court against one another was a much more significant was much greater game than Sunday’s will be — seventh in an 82-game regular season. Their last meeting was Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Paul George looked at the schedule after Friday’s game and knew what was next — and who was next.

A national audience was reintroduced to George during Friday’s home game against the Miami Heat, televised by ESPN. He produced a star performance, too. The last time NBA fans saw him play that well was May 30, 2014. The superstar across from him that night will be the one he faces Sunday afternoon: LeBron James.

The NBA’s landscape, for years, has shifted on James’ play, his dominance and his free-agent decisions. Now back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James has built his hometown team into the clear favorite to advance through the Eastern Conference and return to the NBA Finals.

George, after missing almost the entire season last year, is eager to once again face James.

“I’m excited. I’m very excited,” he said after a brief practice Saturday. “I’m one of LeBron’s biggest supporters. I look up to him, and he’s always been great to me. It’ll be exciting to have that matchup again. I’m one person in this league that really enjoys big matchups and enjoys competition.”

The last time George and James were on the court against one another was a much more significant game than Sunday’s will be — No. 7 in an 82-game regular season. Their last meeting was Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. James wore a Miami Heat uniform, and the Pacers were anchored by Roy Hibbert and David West. George scored a game-high 29 points. James finished with 25 and led the Heat to a 117-92 win that clinched their spot in the NBA Finals.

This season, James and Kevin Love have led the Cavaliers to a five-game winning streak entering Sunday’s game. George, after struggling to score in the Pacers’ 0-3 start, has found his rhythm and has led the team to three consecutive wins.

George said the Cavaliers are the ideal opponent for the Pacers to gauge themselves against this early in the season.

“That’s exactly what it’ll be,” he said. “Just finding our way, seeing where we’re at, where we compete, where we match up against the team that went to the championship last year. That’s where this team is wanting to go late in this year, so to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

James, though, sustained a left quad injury. In the fourth quarter, he landed awkwardly after a tough layup attempt against Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor.

“Hopefully it doesn’t stop me from playing on Sunday, with the quick turnaround with us having an early game,” James told reporters.

Coach Frank Vogel hopes C.J. Miles will play after missing the past two games with a sore right ankle. If Miles returns, Vogel is expected to use his small lineup — George Hill, Monta Ellis, George, Miles and Ian Mahinmi — against a Cavaliers team that will feature a traditional lineup with Love and Timofey Mozgov in the frontcourt.

“I do like that lineup; I want to get back to that as soon as we can,” Vogel said. He added of the Cavaliers: “They’ve gotten stronger in a lot of areas. Obviously, they’re the team to beat in the East. They have LeBron James, and they have Kevin Love.”

Miles realizes a lot of people will pay attention to how George fares against James. But he emphasized that the Pacers are going up against what he feels is the most complete team in theconference.

“They have a bunch of guys that fit together well,” Miles said. “They got shooters, playmakers and obviously one of the best guys in our league. He brings those guys together. They have a lot of high-motor guys, which is kind of dangerous when you got talented guys and you got three or four high-motor guys. At home, they get that crowd going, and they play really well there. It’s going to be a challenge.”

Injury report

Rodney Stuckey, one of the most valuable Pacers off the bench, will not play against the Cavaliers. Vogel said Stuckey will not travel with the team to Cleveland so he can rest the right ankle he sprained in Friday's game.

While playing defense, Stuckey stepped on teammate Jordan Hill’s foot and rolled his ankle. Stuckey fell to the floor and did not move for several minutes, even while his teammates were running down the court on offense. Two Pacers staffers helped him hobble to the locker room.

Vogel said it was possible Stuckey could play Monday against the Orlando Magic.

“You never know with something like that,” Vogel said. “I’m definitely hearing that it’s probably a matter of days and not weeks. That’s good news.”

Miles said Stuckey, who is averaging 10.8 points this season, is one of the toughest players in the league.

“Stuck is a walking muscle,” Miles said with a smile. “Knowing Stuck, he’ll be fine. Trust me.”